Prognostic value of serum thioredoxin levels in ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVES: Thioredoxin (Trx) is one of significant antioxidative molecules to diminish oxidative stress. Current evidence suggests that Trx is a potent antioxidant with cytoprotective functions. The aim of our study was to investigate specifically the association between serum Trx levels and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients.

METHODS: 198 AIS patients and 75 controls were enrolled to the study. Serum Trx levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Stroke severity was assessed with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score on admission. Clinical endpoint was functional outcome measured by Barthel Index (BI) 3 months after admission. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors.

RESULTS: We found that serum Trx levels were significantly increased in patients as compared to controls. Serum Trx was an independent biomarker to predict ischemic stroke (OR, 1.264; 95% CI, 1.04-1.537; P = 0.019). In addition, there was a negative correlation between NIHSS score at admission and serum Trx levels in cardioembolic stroke patients (r = -0.422; P = 0.013). Furthermore, higher serum Trx levels in AIS patients were associated with favorable functional outcome. Serum Trx was an independent predictor for the functional outcome (OR, 0.862; 95% CI, 0.75-0.991; P = 0.037).

CONCLUSIONS: Serum Trx might be as a biomarker of cardioembolic stroke severity. Increased serum Trx levels could be a useful tool to predict good prognosis in patients with AIS.